Paying for residential & nursing home care

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What are the charges?

If you have to go into a residential or nursing home, the cost is going to be one of the things that concern you most. Residential and nursing homes in the borough all charge different amounts, depending on the facilities they provide and the amount of care that you need.

We can tell you how much each of these homes charge, or you can contact them directly.

We will tell you how we work out how much you will have to contribute towards the cost of staying in a residential or nursing home.

This information is only guide. In some circumstances different rules will apply.

We will try to give you the financial facts and explain the charges.

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Choosing a Care Home

If you need residential or nursing care, we will help you choose a home that meets your needs. We will offer you a choice of homes that accept our current contract price and help you make arrangements to move into the care home.

More Expensive Care Homes and Top-Up Agreements

If you do not accept the home we offered you, but choose a care home which costs more than we can pay, a relative or friend can agree to pay the extra. This cost is on top of your contribution. It is the difference between the amount we would usually pay and the actual care home fees. It is called a third party top up.

2. If your place in a care home has been arranged as part of a package of “Intermediate Care” where you are having short term therapy or treatment, either following a hospital stay or to avoid having to go into hospital for a period of up to six weeks.

We will tell you if you fall into one of these categories. Your benefits may be affected when your Care Home is funded in this way. You should contact the Department for Works and Pensions (DWP) for advice as soon as you go into the Care Home to avoid being overpaid.

a) You will have to pay the full cost of your care if your saving and assets are more than £23,250* or your weekly income (including any tariff income) is more than the cost of your care home.

The value of any property you own may be treated as capital to calculate your charge

If you have any savings and assets we will treat you as a self-funding client and will normally ask you to enter into a contract with the care home directly

If your assets are tied up in a property which you either do not wish to sell at the present time or you are arranging to sell, we can enter into a deferred payment agreement with you. This is like a loan which enables you to meet the cost of your care home and any money paid by the council is paid back once you sell the property or leave the care home.

b) If your weekly income is less than the weekly cost of the care home and your savings and assets are less than £23,250*, we will help you financially.

You will need to contribute towards the cost of your care

We will complete and a financial assessment to calculate how much you can afford to pay each week

We have to take into account any pensions or wages you receive

Pension Credit

Income Support

and any extra social security benefits you may be entitled to claim for your stay in the home

We do not count Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance as part of your income

You will need to claim all the benefits you are entitled to make your contribution.

How to get in touch

You can contact the Financial Assessment Charging Team directly on 020 3373 1184. They are available Monday - Friday 9am to 5pm